This Old-School Item from My Grandmother’s Table Is Making a Comeback

When I was growing up, my grandmother always poured sweet tea or lemonade from some kind of pitcher shaped like a bunch of grapes or a giant lemon. You might associate these fruit- and vegetable-shaped ceramics with the 1970s, but their origin actually dates back even further. In the early 1500s, a French Renaissance ceramicist, Bernard Palissy, began replicating what he saw in still lifes as 3D works of pottery. The practice became so well-known that it was referred to as Palissy Ware and widely reproduced as visual art. 

The trend experienced a revival over 250 years later in France and Portugal, particularly in the town of Caldas da Rainha — well-known today for its world-famous cabbage bowls by 19th-century artist Raphael Bordallo Pinheiro. Today, you’ll find the Portuguese ceramic studio still in operation, producing highly detailed, decorative, and utilitarian works of fruits, vegetables, flora, and fauna. 

Recently, I’ve been seeing decorative fruits and veggies popping up all over interiors in the U.S., too. You may already recognize the widely loved strawberry stools from HomeGoods, for example, but these throwback motifs seem especially popular as serving pieces.

Whether it’s a cabbage plate or carrot-inspired vase, there’s something charming and personal about integrating your favorite foods into your decor (for me, it’s citrus motifs). I rounded up seven food-forward ceramic pitchers and bowls to bring this still life-inspired look into your own home.